‘Don’t stroke your cat, you’ll stress it out’(Experts warn pets are being harmed)

The Daily Mail ^ | 5 October 2014 | Gemma Mullin

[Georgia Girl 2]

Yep. When a cat gets enough love they get up and walk away.

[KarlInOhio]

When my cats got stressed I got bloody.

[Mastador1]

I’ll go to Confession after. Who knew it was bad to stroke your pussy?

[EinNYC]

Them folks that wrote this sound like looney-toons. I think my cats should be collecting the royalties for having invented Velcro. They are Velcro-kitties. Always wanting to be in my lap, next to me, behind my head on pillows, on top of me, on top of whatever I'm trying to read, etc. My ankles are well-polished from lovingly being circled. My hands are well-buffed from being solicited to pet furry heads.

I must be very very cruel.

[Fzob]

Stressed out cats don’t taste as good. :)

[dragonblustar]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rx3NTMicOHs

[CatherineofAragon]

Stress:

[gusopol3]

These are experts who fit the old definition “ex”= “x”= unknown; “spert”= “spurt”= “drip of water under pressure.” Unknown drips.

[GraceG]

Stressed out cats don’t taste as good. :)

This one was DELICIOUS!

[pennboricua]

what about chickens? can we still stroke our chickens?

[rlmorel]

Cats can be odd creatures. My cat loves to play rough. Hi loves an oven mitt where he can grab onto it and kick and bite. Or a hand under a thick comforter he can attack.

I can pick him up by his tail (carefully, near the root) and he isn’t upset in any way.

But fascinatingly, he loves it when I am in my kitchen, and I grasp his tail and launch him across the floor. He slides about five feet on the slippery linoleum floor, his legs all splay akimbo, then strides back over to me for another toss. He will let me do this over and over again, purring the whole time. He used to fetch, but doesn’t do that anymore.

On the other hand, he nearly ripped my legs to shreds as I was watching a movie late one night recently. He was all purry and chilled out on my lap, and I opened a beer.

The hissing sound as it opened caused him to peel out on my legs, leaving scarlet skid marks from his claws on the tops of my thighs.

[gundog]

Hogwash! A freshly freaked out kitten responds immediately to a good head to tail rub-down, simulating a reassuring lick-down from mom.

[McBuff]

You'll stroke, pet or scratch when I TELL YOU to stroke, pet or scratch!!

[Future Snake Eater]

When a cat wants to be alone they let you know.

Via this handy chart.

[Texan5]

Tell that to my 3 felines, 2 of whom are self-propelled lap ornaments-I’ve lifted the brindle tabby Midget from my keyboard several times in the last 10 minutes...

Cats know perfectly well how to let you know when they don’t want attention-and when they do...

[RegulatorCountry]

"I beg your pardon, please speak for yourselves. Mine simply adores being stroked and stroked and stroked again!"

[VerySadAmerican]

I’m really having to fight not posting about “stroking a (another name for a cat) causes stress”.

[RegulatorCountry]

I've already posted Mrs. Slocombe from Are You Being Served?, so you're not alone. I did the polite thing and avoided the problematic word. Those who know the show, know the running gag.

[NewHampshireDuo]

Tell that to the fur ball who’s snoozing on my arm and interfering with the keyboard all morning.

Our tuxedo cat starts by jumping up on the desk and rubbing against the monitor, turning it so it's hard to see (darn LCDs are too light, that would never happen with a CRT). Next he drapes himself on my mouse. If my hand is on the mouse, all the better. Then he rolls over and covers half the keyboard.

With regard to notebooks, they are to lay on and provide warmth. If the lid is open, he can turn off the wifi, enable the numeric keypad, check for updates and turn it off. The last one makes him angry as he loses the warmth as the thing cools down.

OhOh - here he comes now!

[Brother Cracker]

You've got to use a vegetable.